This is one of the best books I ever read in my life. I read the Sportswriter and although the writing was exceptional and story engrossing, disliked Frank Bascombe for his shallow detachment. In this novel he is so much more real as he attempts to communicate his troubled son. The setting, in Cooperstown and Oneonta is very familiar to me and dead one accurate. His attempt to relate to his son made me cry. In the midst of an unbelievable tragedy, someone calls him by name, and takes care of him...comforting, caring, for him. This Chirst- figure is his long lost Jewish step brother, Irv, who imparts wisdom of continuity, which finally impels Frank out of his Existence period back into real life. ( )

This book picks up five or so years after the conclusion of [Sportswriter]. Frank Bascombe, now divorced, but still hankering after his ex-wife Ann, who has moved on and remarried, is no longer a sportswriter but a realtor in Haddam, New Jersey, living in the home previously owned by Ann. His now 15 year old son is having emotional problems and Frank has decided some quality father and son time is called for. He picks his son Paul up, to take him on a road trip, stopping at various Halls of Fame.
It is written in a similar style to the previous book, in that we have Frank ruminating on life in general and his in particular. I still struggle to like Frank and couldn't understand why he would choose Sports Halls of Fame to spend quality time with his son, when his son appears to have little or no sporting inclination. I, also, struggled to relate to the dialogue, it's verbosity. Do people or did people in the 1980's America talk like that. I struggled to follow these threads of conversation. I very much suspect, that the views expressed, provided a platform for the author's own voice, but for me they bogged the story down.
As in the previous book, the pace does pick up eventually and keeps you reading and I suspect I will get around to the next in the series...eventually. An interesting choice for the Pulitzer prize... ( )

Forse un po' più slegato negli episodi rispetto al precedente Sportswriter, è comunque tenuto insieme dalle stesse spassionate osservazioni sulla natura umana, che rendono il cammino di Frank, fra sincronicità e continuità, estremamente condivisibile. ( )

I'm a fan of 'dirty realism' style--Wikipedia's genre for Ford's writing. I read Canada, then The Sportswriter and at 62% of Independence Day I decided to put it down. Unexpectedly, our local bookshop had a conversation with the author just as I journeyed on my jag of his works. Despite the fact that I saw this as some sort of sign, after the event, which taught me useful things about writing, I lost all steam for reading this prize-winning book (granted, I didn't have a ton to start with). Frank Bascombe does not appeal to me, ok, that isn't a showstopper; with all the layers of wonderful word-wizarding, why didn't want to I want to hear the rest of the story? ( )

This was a great find. I really enjoyed reading [a:Richard Ford|7849|Richard Ford|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1334959824p2/7849.jpg]. I had put off reading his novels because I had heard his writing was rather stilted, full of itself. I don't know where I got that information, but I was misinformed. I found him very easy and enjoyable to read. Some authors can be very blatant in their opinions or perspectives. With Ford, I felt the author's perspective came through the actions and words of the protagonist and therefore were much more palatable and integrated with the story.

What I didn't realize when I began reading [b:Independence Day|12374|Independence Day|Richard Ford|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1166501473l/12374._SY75_.jpg|2199385] (duh!) is that this is the second in a trilogy. I would have rather read them in their proper order, however, I have also read some less complimentary reviews of the first novel, so maybe if I had started with the first novel I never would have gotten to [b:Independence Day|12374|Independence Day|Richard Ford|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1166501473l/12374._SY75_.jpg|2199385].

I found the plot of [b:Independence Day|12374|Independence Day|Richard Ford|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1166501473l/12374._SY75_.jpg|2199385] very engaging. The primary characters had real depth, especially the protagonist, Frank Bascombe, and his son. The issues the characters were facing seemed real. There was a relationship between people and place to which I could relate. While I liked Frank, you never felt he was perfect; in fact, he had a lot of blemishes. The story caught Frank during a few days as he broke from the patterns of the life in which he had become comfortable and moved into a new phase of his life that would require of him greater personal commitment and involvement. Even the people in Frank's life notice the change he is going through. It is as if Frank has been stagnant, standing still, and he has found a way to successfully move forward. A story of transformation, but subtle and perhaps not permanent? ( )